Kozuka with Three of the Six Great Classical Poets

Description These three men are three of the six great classical poets of the Heian period (794-1192) known at the "Rokkansen." The group is comprised of two Buddhist monks, three courtiers, and one woman. The top figure is either Bun'ya no Yasuhide (d. approx. 885) or Ôtomo no Kuronushi (dates unknown). Both of these men were courtiers. The middle figure is the Buddhist monk Sôjô Henjô (816-890). The bottom figure is Ariwara no Narihira (825-880). The artist signed his name on the reverse.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] 石黒政美彫之; [Translation] Ishiguro Masayoshi horu kore

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters